Love
by desertredwolf
Summary: There's nothing holding him back now, and he will do everything to defend his King. Or, in which Minerva McGonagall watches her students mature and (mostly) control their tempers. An Eighth Year! AU. Written for QLFC; Season 5, Round 13. Chaser 3 for Puddlemere United. Oneshot. Dedicated to Ana.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.**

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 **Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition / Season Five, Round 13**

 **Team:** Puddlemere United

 **Position:** Chaser 3

 **Prompt:** Rook: Write from the perspective of someone other than a student who lives in Hogwarts (a ghost, a house-elf, a teacher, a portrait, the Sorting Hat, etc.)

 **Bonus Prompts:**

3\. (word) freedom

7\. (word) royalty

12\. (word) desire

 **Word Count (not including story title and author's notes):** 1044 (Google Docs)

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 **A/N — Eighth Year! AU where both Harry and Draco go back to Hogwarts for their final year. Dumbledore and Snape are both still dead, though.**

 **A/N 2 — This story is dedicated to the wonderful Ana (obscurialdefenseclub). Thank you for a wonderful QL season, and all the encouragement you have provided. You are a great friend and (despite what you might think) a good captain. *salutes***

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 **Love**

It was breakfast, and also Minerva McGonagall's favorite meal of the day — not necessarily because of the food, however. It was her last hour of freedom and relaxation before the chaos of the day started, unless the Weasley twins decided to test that. So, it was rather vexing, _especially_ for a Friday morning, for there to be an intense argument out in the Entrance Hall. The shouting — which was quickly rising in both intensity and volume — was what swiftly drew Minerva to her feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Pomona and Filius mirror her movements.

She pushed open the heavy oak doors, her colleagues right behind her, and happened across the most unlikely sight.

Lucius Malfoy, surrounded by an Auror escort guard, was yelling at Harry Potter. Minerva was surprised to see Draco Malfoy standing _next_ to Harry, and not his father. An interesting twist in the tale…

Minerva grimaced slightly. _Merlin_ , she was starting to sound like Dumbledore. _'An interesting twist in the tale,'_ indeed. Turning her full attention back on the escalating situation before her. Whether it was lucky or not, the group hadn't yet noticed they had an audience.

She decided to allow the situation to play out. At least, for now.

"You— _You corrupted my son_!" the senior Malfoy bellowed at Harry. It was a testament to both how much the young Gryffindor had matured and the hardships that he had experienced, that he did not flinch at the older man's tone.

"I did not."

Minerva raised an eyebrow at that tone. It was the same tone Lily Potter had once used when interrogating Death Eaters during the first war: cold and unyielding. It was a tone that said the user would be given respect — there was no other option.

She watched Lucius Malfoy recoil, before collecting himself and turning on what appeared to be an easier target.

"And _you_ ," he snarled at his son. " _You_ call yourself a Malfoy? You would lower yourself to this _filth_? It would be better if you just bedded a Mudblood!"

Draco visibly paled under his father's wrath, and there was a collective intake of breath at that last statement. Minerva was seeing red, and she could practically feel Filius next to her, shaking with rage. She was starting to put together the picture of what was happening. But before she could intervene, Harry beat her to it.

"Oh, _tell me_ , Death Eater," he said, his voice dripping in venom, "which part makes me filth? The part where I defeated and killed your half-blood Master? Or maybe it's the little non-issue of my mother being a Muggleborn."

"I think it's the part where we love each other, Harry," Draco commented dryly. His complexion was still pale, but he seemed to be drawing strength from Harry.

But just as Harry had controlled the situation earlier like Lily, he was also losing it like James. Minerva saw the warning signs: his eyes glinting with barely restrained rage, fists clenching, and his breathing becoming more erratic.

"Why should that bother him?" Harry asked. He was addressing Draco, but his eyes were locked on the elder Malfoy. "After all, I can think of far more disturbing things. Hey, Lucius. What exactly _had_ happened when Riddle moved into your house, during the end of the war? Like between you and him? I would say there's no shame, but it was _Riddle_ , ya know?"

Multiple things happened at once.

Lucius Malfoy bellowed in rage, and charged toward Harry — hands outstretched for his throat. The Auror guards drew their wands; Minerva and the other professors a beat behind them. There was a loud bang, and the senior Malfoy was blasted off his feet.

Draco Malfoy had stepped in front of Harry, wand pointed directly at his father. He had beaten them all on the draw.

"You will not harm him," Draco snarled. It was then that Hermione and Ron stepped out of the crowd that had grown behind the professors. Their wands were also drawn, and they took their places on either side of Harry; Hermione, on the left, and Ron on the right.

It was in that moment that Minerva was strongly reminded of chess.

Obviously, Harry was their king, the one the others would die defending — even if he would order them not to. Hermione was the queen. She had the unique ability to see solutions that others could not, and the daring to cut across battlefields to make plans and ideas a reality. And the two Gryffindors treated her like royalty. Ron was their knight: a powerful player that would do anything for the other two.

And Draco Malfoy was the rook. A player who was not as powerful as the others in the beginning, stuck behind smaller obstacles. But once the little things holding him back were gone, he was the king's shield; just as powerful as the others, and much more important.

"This world is changing, Father, and for the _better_ ," Malfoy spat. Lucius was dragged to his feet by one of the Aurors. "I have no desire to be apart of your world any longer. I love him. It took too long for us to acknowledge our feelings. Your petty beliefs will not tear us apart."

Minerva watched Harry discreetly hold Draco's hand. There was a lull in the conversation, of which she quickly took advantage.

"I believe the show is over," she announced. She vaguely heard the other professors usher the students back into the Great Hall. "Will anyone tell me why a marked Death Eater is in this school, Auror guard or not?"

She began to listen to the guards' half-baked excuses — something about Lucius wanting to say good-bye to his son, before he was sentenced to the Veil, and how were _they_ supposed to know Draco was dating their charge's greatest enemy? — when Draco and Harry walked passed her.

"You really need to work on controlling your anger, Harry," Draco chastised. Harry grinned sheepishly.

"I know. I just … _hate_ that we're going to be scrutinized for our relationship, ya know?" he responded. "And I also really just hate him."

"You're a dork. I love you."

"I love you, too."

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 **A/N — And that's all, folks! This is the last round of Quidditch League for this season — at least for Puddlemere! Thank you for betaing, Tart (TartCat207)!**


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